Being a realtor in the Clermont area (Davenport: real estate, broker)

[sherrigreeneyes]

Hi all......can you realtors in the Clermont/Davenport area please tell me how hard it was or was not to build up a client base.
Please share your experiences. I was a realtor in Wisconsin years ago and I loved it...my field now is retail management. Our family might be moving back to the Clermont area for my husbands job and I have been toying with the idea of getting my rreal estate license there.
What desk fees can I expect? How welcoming are the brokers to new agents?

[AONE]

Like any place it is a fair amount of work. It is a good market presently but building the base and referal network takes a great deal of time. I think most of us brokers are pretty open to new agents, particularly those with experience. That part should be the easy side. I would avoid those with desk fees and such. Here you will find many charge "administrative fees" to clients which is nothing more than a junk fee to make more and it generally is $200-300. Not all of us do that but most do. read those disclosure statements.

Any way good luck with whatever you decide.

[cfIfan]

To be honest, when i first got into the business here i felt that it would be a good thing for me to go with the large corporate firms who are nationwide. In my career i have been with 2 such companies and it was the biggest mistake i ever made. You start off on a really low split but i was happy to do this as there wernt any desk fees. What attracted me initially was the training i could expect, but in the end it became ridiculous. The training was as i would term it text book training and not real world training. I was taking courses 4 days a week which left me very little time to dedicate to my customers and at the end of the day Excellent customer service is important for referrals. Most of the classes were compulsary regardless of how long you had been in the business. Whilst these companies do market alot, you are competing with agents within that company aswell as outside companies.

Im now with a small family run brokerage and it is fantastic. We have excellent marketing tools, i get the training I NEED which is relevent to my business as and when i need it and emphasis is on providing excellent customer service and my broker gives me the tools and training at the times that are convenient to me to provide that level of service.

I also find alot of clients actually seek out the smaller realty firms because of that level of service, knowing we can offer just as good exposure as the big firms but with a higher level of customer service.

My previous firm used to have expired listing parties where we were required to obtain a min of 25 listings per month, and it was thought nothing of screwing another realtor over out of a sale. This was hilarious really as they gave courses on realtor morals and conduct but when it came down to it in practice didnt practice what they preached and the broker was more than keen for these practices to happen if it resulted in gaining a listing or a sale. Thats not how i want to run my business and there is no way you can provide a high level of service under these circumstances.

This was my experience with both large firms i worked with.

I think it also depends on your personality. If your that way inclined then these firms may be a good fit. I personally dont wish to conduct myself in that way and it is important for me to market myself more important qualities and im glad i found a broker who feels the same way and gives me great support.

Dont rule out small firms, but do your homework either way you choose to go.

Good luck

[LisaJonz]

It takes time and persistence to build a good client and referral base, but once you've got that you should be okay. I love my office and my broker, she is very fair and giving and does not charge desk fees. There are no copy fees or admin. fees or junk fees of any kind. She provides all of her agents with enhanced listings on Realtor.com and is very fair with her commission splits. We just built a beautiful new building on HWy 50 and have been growing consistently throughout this challenging market. Send me a message if you would like more info...